Sunday, September 13

If you take a read through the Boston media after last night's 5 inning, rain-soaked victory, you would think Josh Beckett tossed a complete game 1 hitter, striking out 14. While I'm excited about Beckett's improved performance, I'm not ready to label him "back". In fact, in my opinion, the biggest takeaway from last night's game may not have even been Beckett.....in my mind, it was Gonzo....and his reminder to his all.

The defensive wizz at short stop continues to rake in a Boston uniform....hitting about .100 points higher than any Boston short stop in recent memory. Currently, he's hitting .295 with the Sox, has smashed 4 taters (one more than he had all season with the Reds), and knocked in 11 runs from the number 9 spot in the order. No longer do pitchers look at the bottom of this lineup and consider it comparable to one from the NL Central.....and absolutely none of it has to do with Tek.

Gonzo has deepened an already deep lineup, something he wasn't exactly brought in here to do. And oh yeah, he's solidified a defense that has been in the bottom third of the league all year.

That being said, I'm still extremely confused by the questions surrounding who will play short stop for the 2010 Red Sox. You have your answer, he's right in front of you.....pick up his 6 million dollar option, end the questions, and provide a little clarity for a 2010 team that currently has question marks all over the field (think about it, the only positional definites are Pedey, JD, and Jacoby.....especially since we don't know what position Youk or VMart will be playing).

Maybe it's all a ploy and they have every intention on signing Gonzo....or maybe management doesn't like the fact that he's had 88 at bats here in Boston and has yet to walk once. I can see Theo shaking his head from here.

The Sox padded their wild card lead to three games last night, the Yanks lost, there is a double header today, and it's the first Sunday of the NFL season......all good reasons for me not to do any homework today....

Soxin09'...honestly, I read your comment last night and fully expected to wake up to a 6-5 Texas win. But I didn't, so lucky you.

Anyways, I do think a few additional games will help Dice-K, but perhaps only a little. You gotta remember this guy still has the reputation of a big game pitcher...granted, more often than not, it's for team Japan and not the Red Sox, but still. I think his performance will be a lot less about mental focus and much more contigent on physical development. Fingers crossed.

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